The Greatest Disgrace in Marine History-Chapter 88: Still Standing

"The Den Den Mushi's signal... it's being jammed..."

From the shadow of a nearby tree, Byojack stared at the limp, unconscious Den Den Mushi in Byrnndi World's hand. A wave of panic crashed through him like a tidal surge.

"World!! That Marine brat—his power isn't just metal manipulation! He's controlling the magnetic field! He's jamming the signal directly!!"

Byojack gritted his teeth. Ignoring the sharp sting of the cold air in his throat, he let out a hoarse, desperate scream.

And the moment he got the words out, he doubled over, coughing violently—spitting up blood.

But the look in his eyes was pure terror.

If his instincts were right... this entire situation had been a trap from the beginning.

The weapons provided by Doflamingo...

The deal's location and timing...

The magnetic field jammed...

The four pirate ships annihilated...

Every escape route severed...

It could only mean one thing:

They were about to face a full-scale assault from the Marine's upper-echelon forces.

That realization slammed into Byojack like a sledgehammer. His breath quickened, heart racing, and his knees buckled beneath him. Gasping for air, he collapsed to the ground, trembling violently.

——

"Damn you, Marine brat!!"

Byrnndi World roared, crimson rage surging in his eyes. Blood vessels spidered out across his pupils.

Looking out over the burning, shattered coast, the truth hit him like a freight train.

He was surrounded.

Four ships. Thousands of subordinates. All obliterated in an instant beneath the North Blue fleet's overwhelming firepower.

And now...

The only one left standing before him was a mere captain.

No, he realized—gritting his teeth.

This whole thing... had been a setup from the start.

"You're the one who's finished, Byrnndi World."

Darren raised his hand. The twisted metal still coiled around World's legs suddenly twitched—coming alive—and extended into sharp, lance-like spikes aimed straight at his body.

CLANG—CLANG—CLANG!!

The metal lances struck hard against World's armored skin, clashing violently with his Armament Haki and throwing off bursts of sparks.

"How many times do I have to tell you?! Cheap tricks like that don't work on me!!"

World bellowed furiously.

"Mo Mo: Tenfold Speed!!"

BOOM!!

The ground beneath him exploded into a spiderweb of fractures.

A second surge of explosive force, amplified by Armament Haki, blew apart Darren's restraints. World broke free with a thunderous stomp, scattering stone into the air.

With a snarl, he reached out and slammed his massive hands against the airborne debris.

"Mo Mo: Tenfold Scattershot!!"

The shards of stone hurtled forward—and in a flash, their speed multiplied tenfold. They became high-velocity projectiles, each one punching through the air with the force of a shotgun blast.

Darren's lips curved into a small smirk.

Tink—tink—clang!!

The hail of stone shrapnel slammed into him and ricocheted off his body, unable to pierce his frame.

World's pupils narrowed.

This brat's body... it was far tougher than expected.

But before he could act again—

A thunderous boom echoed from the skies.

The fleet was firing.

Dozens of heavy cannons roared to life atop ten warships. Blazing orange shells screamed through the air, plummeting toward the island in a scorching cascade.

A storm of death descended—a net of iron, fire, and smoke.

"Mo Mo: Tenfold Speed!!"

World vanished.

Dancing through the skies like a phantom, he twisted and flipped midair, weaving through the onslaught with impossible agility. His mastery over Soru and Geppo—techniques of the Marine's famed Rokushiki—was flawless.

BOOM—BOOM—BOOM!!

The cannonballs struck the ground like falling gods, erupting into firestorms across the frozen terrain.

"Hahaha!! Speed is power! In these seas, no one can match mine!!"

World laughed wildly, dodging another blast by a hair's breadth.

"...Is that so?"

Darren's eyes narrowed. He stretched his hands wide, fingers clawing into the air—then jerked them forward, as though seizing something invisible.

World froze.

His expression twisted in disbelief as he realized—

The cannonballs, which should have fallen in parabolic arcs...

Were changing direction.

BOOM!!

One round curved unnaturally and exploded right in front of him.

Then came the second.

Then the third.

The fourth.

Each shell was now guided by an unseen force, breaking the laws of physics. Controlled by Darren like a conductor leading an orchestra of destruction.

Cannon after cannon unleashed hell on the same point. The center of the inferno swelled with black smoke and scarlet flame. The heatwave rippled outward, melting the snow and reddening the darkened skies.

Suddenly—

FWIP!!

With a sharp burst of displaced air, a charred and smoke-covered World appeared behind Darren—stealthy and silent like a phantom.

"Mo Mo: Fiftyfold Speed!!"

Darren's pupils snapped into razor-sharp focus.

So fast.

"You little punk... relying on power that isn't yours—you'll never understand what true terror is in this sea."

"Die!!"

With a blood-red gaze, World drove his fist toward the back of Darren's head.

The force of his blow shattered the air itself, kicking up a white shockwave that exploded outward.

This Marine brat hadn't awakened his Observation Haki...

At fifty times the speed of sound, he couldn't possibly react in time.

But then—

World's eyes went wide.

Darren spun around—faster than expected.

The metal on his forearms twisted, forming a dense metal shield between them in an instant.

He had predicted the attack!?

How...?!

World's fist came down like a falling mountain.

CRACK!!

The shield twisted and shattered.

His punch crashed into Darren's crossed arms—

BOOM!!

A shockwave tore outward in rings, hurling snow and debris into the air.

Crack—crack—crunch...

The bones in Darren's arms buckled beneath the blow. Blood mist sprayed from his skin with every fracture.

THUD!!

His body shot backward like a cannonball, spiraling through the air. He crashed into the ground over a hundred meters away, skidding across the snow in a long, blood-streaked trench.

Drip... drip... drip...

Thick blood spilled from his arms, staining the snow.

With a grimace of pain, Darren forced himself to stand, body shaking. A dark smear of blood ran from the corner of his mouth.

World's punch had fractured the bones in both of his forearms.

If it hadn't been for the shield—and Darren's abnormal physical conditioning—his arms would've been pulverized on the spot by that Armament Haki-powered strike.

"Yeah... Haki really is the greatest weapon in these seas."

He wiped the blood from his mouth and glanced at his ruined hands.

Torn flesh. Shattered veins writhing beneath what remained of his skin. Exposed bone glinting from the back of his right hand.

And yet—

Darren grinned through the pain, a savage light in his eyes.

"...But I'm still standing."

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— To be continued...